On the path of securing safe food supplies for residents in Da Nang and elsewhere in the country, over recent years, the Da Nang authorities have moved to organic farming in an effort to unite farmers and the public with a goal for sustainability in farming. The focus on accelerating modern, highly-efficient agriculture with high added value, thereby creating more organic agricultural products in parallel with improving living standards of local farmers.

Growing organic vegetables at the Hoa Vang District-based Tuy Loan Cooperative

Large numbers of farmers in Da Nang, over recent times, have been turning over a new leaf by ditching a harmful, old model of cultivation with pesticides, and switching to organic farming techniques, instead.  Thanks to this positive sign, Da Nang has seen a boom in the number of high-tech agricultural production areas, and encouragingly, most of the locally-grown agricultural products have secured a firm foothold in the domestic market.

According to the Da Nang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, many private businesses and cooperatives have poured their money into the application of scientific and technical advances in the production of organic agricultural products which meet the Viet Nam Agriculture Practice (VietGAP) food safety standards, hereby raking in large profits. 

Under the organic farming models, the priority is given to promoting the utilisation of advanced cultivation techniques to produce a variety of robust, disease-free, high-yielding products. 

The growers not only ensure not to use fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, stimulants, hormones or genetically modified seeds, but also have to guarantee that their organic farming practice meets environment-friendly, biodiversity and sustainable development standards.

In particular, the use of diversified machinery helps to efficiently deploy the handling of residues from previous crops, primary and secondary tillage of the soil, fertilizer distribution and application, seeding, planting, and transplanting, cultivation, pest control, harvesting, transportation, storage, irrigation and erosion control, and other related activities.

Till date, many high-tech agricultural production projects have been put into operation in rural Hoa Vang District. Notable amongst them are the Afarm in Hoa Phu Commune, GreenTech in Hoa Khuong Commune, and an organic fruits and vegetables growing area in Hoa Ninh Commune.

Since its inception in 2017, large amounts of hydroponic fruits and vegetables produced at the GreenTech Farm in Hoa Khuong Commune, Hoa Vang District, have been made their noticeable berths on the shelves of such large supermarkets as Co.opmart, Big C and MM Mega Market. 

Meanwhile, on average, more than 1 tonne of organic fruits and vegetables from Cam Le District-based La Huong - Da Nang's leading high-yield organic vegetable growing area- is delivered to consumers citywide each day through many different distribution channels such as organic farm shops, collective kitchens, hotels, traditional markets and supermarkets.  In fact, customers nowadays are willing to pay higher prices in exchange for quality and health benefits. 

Thanks to stable output, each farmer working on the La Huong vegetable growing  area fetches an average annual income of about 80 million VND - 100 million VND. 

According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Science and Technology Vu Thi Bich Hau, over recent years, the city authorities have issued a handful of many preferential policies to support businesses specialising in developing organic agricultural products to promote their technological innovation,  enhance their production capacity, change their designs and packages, and register trademarks for their products.

By KHANH HOA, VAN HOANG- Translate by A.T